Track: Riverhead Raceway (NY)
Date: Sunday, October 1, 2023
Winners: Aria Ligon (Bandolero Bandits); Gavin Romano (Bandolero Outlaws)
Photo Credits: track photos
Story and results provided by the track (written by Bob Finan). NOTE: Legends and Bandolero portions extracted for posting on Legends Nation.
Contested a week later than planned due to weather, Championship Sunday rolled into action at Riverhead Raceway Sunday afternoon under sunny skies.
In the 15-lap Bock Auto INEX Bandolero Bandits 15-lap feature event budding star Aria Ligon of Center Moriches scored her first career win in her Chesterfield Associates machine. Aria, who started racing during the 2022 campaign had been making positive advances throughout the 2023 season, took the race lead at the drop of the green and led all the way to the finish. Christian Ryan of Riverhead was runner-up in the sponsor wanted entry, while Blake Grattan of Southold placed third in the Southold IGA Market mount. Four-time feature event winner Reid Halpin of Wading River was on the march right from the throw of the green and appeared to be on his way to a 5th win. Unfortunately for Halpin two cars got together underneath him entering the first turn and he made hard contact with the wall in turn two ending his race. However, when Reid took the green in the Florida Connection/Baldwin Automotive racer he secured the 2023 Bandits championship. Halpin’s story is one of perseverance after suffering a hard crash at Waterford Speedbowl in the summer of 2021. The then 8-year-old Halpin wasn’t certain he wanted to race again after that incident, but with the support of his family and crew he did enjoying a career and championship season.
In the Bock Auto INEX Bandolero Outlaws event, also 15-laps Gavin Romano of Riverhead drove to his first career victory surviving a torrid battle with Will Sipala of Manorville on the final lap. Romano broke to the early lead over Ben Morabito, who by taking the green flag clinched the 2023 Outlaws championship. On lap 7 Morabito, the 2022 Bandits champion looped around Romano for the lead, bringing Cillian Tennant with him. Tennant stayed right with Morabito once the duo got to the front and on lap 8 the challenger dove low on the leader with contact ensuing. That moved Romano back to the race lead with Will Sipala second for the restart. It all boiled down to the last turn of the final lap as the checker flag was waving in the breeze, Sipala threw a bottom shot on leader Romano off turn four, contact was made with Sipala the apparent winner in a photo finish. Race control intervened moving Sipala one spot back for the last turn contact making Gavin Romano a first-time winner in the Mil-Aero Solutions Outlaw. Sipala and his JD Posillico Contracting machine were second with Phillip Alaimo of Miller Place third in the Alaimo Contracting racer. The early part of Sunday was trying for Ben Morabito and his family as they nearly did not make it to the track after racing in Kingsport, Tn. Saturday. A connecting flight out of Charlotte was in peril but in the end the travel plans worked out in their favor.
Bock Auto Bandolero Bandits: 1. Aria Ligon 2. Christian Ryan 3. Blake Grattan 4. Emmett Grattan 5. Reid Halpin 6. Mason Goodale 7. Brooke Meyer 8. Layla Quilliam 9. Jordan Ryan 10. Antonio D’Alonzo
Bock Auto Bandolero Outlaws: 1. Gavin Romano 2. Will Sipala 3. Phillip Alaimo 4. Nick Hodge 5. Jayden Owens-Bader 6. Cillian Tennant 7. Madison Tomaszewski 8. Ben Morabito
 and Gavin Romano (Bandolero Outlaws) scored their first-career victories on Sunday, October 1, at Riverhead Raceway (NY).){kind=link}